1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of optical components, subsystems, systems, and more particularly to optical receivers.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical receivers continue to evolve in their designs by industrial trends, market opportunities and technological innovations. Cost reductions and dimension compactness serve as major driving forces in the design of optical systems after the fallout in the telecom industry. One key parameter in an optical receiver is the dynamic range in the level of the input light power signal. The electrical output signal is correlated to the intensity of the optical input signal where the intensity of the optical input signal can fluctuate in large in the input dynamic range.
One conventional solution uses an avalanche diode (APD) and electrical transducers combination in an optical receiver. A shortcoming in this type of optical receiver that uses an APD is the limit in gain and sensitivity, which reduces the dynamic range of the optical receiver.
Accordingly, there is a need to design an optical receiver that is cost effective and optimized in size while producing a wider dynamic range and higher sensitivity.